JG

Super Power AssClown
Aug 17, 1999
23
0
Whats the best way to do A wheely?
Every time I try, I end up getting thrown off my bike. Do you use the clutch...rear brake??
 

High Lord Gomer

Poked with Sticks
Sep 26, 1999
11,790
34
A friend who could ride them well told me to bring the front wheel up while you are already "on the pipe". The reverse being that if you bring it up at low rpms, when the power does hit, it will make you more likely to loop out.

Yeah, the rear brake will bring the front down, but it also reinjured my recently separated shoulder when I hit it too hard.

BTW, I'm the last person you should ask about wheelies...I have a collection of rear fenders and a titanium subframe that lasted all of 40 feet.
 

jwm

Member
Sep 3, 1999
2
0
There are a couple of things I would say to you about riding wheelies.

I think there are 2 phases to wheelies:
<ul>
[*]getting the front end up
[*]keeping it up for a (long) time
[/list]

The first thing you have to be able to do is to get the front end up.
To practice this, I suggest finding a long smooth uphill with
a few bumps in it.
Put the bike in second or third gear and find one of the bumps in
the hill that tends to loft the front wheel.
Then practice trying to loft the front end every time over that
bump.
<ul>
[*]I tend to crouch with my elbows high.
[*]At the moment of contact with the bump, I sit down at the back
of the seat and yank on the handlebars.
[*]On my XR600, I usually slip the clutch to help get the front end
up; but I don't need to on my CR500.
[/list]
If you practice a little, you should be able to get the front end
up high enough to feel the point of balance.
For this part of the technique, you won't need any rear brake.



Once you can do this, then you can move on to trying to ride the
bike at that point of balance.
Hope that helps...

-- jeff
 

KDX613

Member
Dec 9, 1999
3
0
I suggest just every time you see a bit of a hump in the ground try to wheelie off it. Push the front of the bike down with your weight at the base of the hump to compress the forks and at the same time give it a sharp blip on the throttle to bring the front into the air. If you open up the throttle at the base of the hump just as you start to compress the suspension the power should get to the back wheel just as the forks are rebounding. As this happens pull back on the bars and throw your weight to the back of your bike. Timing is everything but with practise you'll be an expert in no time.
smile.gif
 

YZ250man

Member
Member
Jun 9, 2002
54
0
When I had my&nbsp;&nbsp;83 XR350 way back in 84, and I used to live at the old deaf school in Baton Rouge (read: empty campus, 100 yard football field), I used to practice getting the wheel up in second and ride the rear wheel through the gears up to 5th.&nbsp;&nbsp;On the old 4 stroker, it was cool...

To learn to do that, there is a levee about 300 yards down the road, and I used to sneak my bike down there and ride up the levee on the rear wheel. I would get it into second before ascending and just lift on the bars a tad, with some gas to boot and try to be smooth to the top with the front end about half a foot off the ground.&nbsp;&nbsp;Over and over and over and over....(you get the point) and it will come naturally in no time.&nbsp;&nbsp;Point is, be patient and work with the bike.

It had been 14 years since I rode a dirt bike and when I hopped on my 83 IT 250 just after I bought it last year, it all came back (only a little, cuz I'm not able to ride it for a long time yet.

For me, second gear is the wheelie gear (sometimes 3rd) but I have a few pounds to shed
wink.gif


------------------
Dave
89 YZ250WR
 
G

Guest

I can get the wheel up there on my 99 YZ125 no prob. My biggest problem is to keep it up there, I rev whatver gear I am in out and then it drops when I shift. I guess I just need to learn to balance it. I can only do power wheelies. Which mean I can get the wheel up there and hold it til time to shift... then it goes down!

------------------
    -racerx
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 99YZ125
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; West Virginia
 

ButtonFly

Member
Dec 8, 1999
92
0
I can do the venerable wheelie on an xr 100.&nbsp;&nbsp;Or my little brother's RM80, or my littlest bro's z50 monkey bike.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ever see On any sunday?&nbsp;&nbsp;Remember that kid on the z50?&nbsp;&nbsp;Heck yeah.&nbsp;&nbsp;I weigh in about 185 (nekked
smile.gif
) so anybody should be able to do it.&nbsp;&nbsp;On of the keys to doing a wheelie is selecting an easy gear to do it in.&nbsp;&nbsp;Second on the Xr, first on the rm.&nbsp;&nbsp;On a four stroke speed up until you are at least in the power range.&nbsp;&nbsp;Chop the gas, allowing the bike to slow down, and then hit it all the way.&nbsp;&nbsp;The chopping the throttle compresses the front, and you don't have to pull the bars hard, or as hard.&nbsp;&nbsp;On a two stroke speed up until you are just over the powerband, then chop the throttle again.&nbsp;&nbsp;When you hit the throttle it will be right at the powerband, and the wheel will be in your face.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you can, practice going uphill.&nbsp;&nbsp;That way you have the wheel already above horizontal, and it takes less work.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you want to be even lazier, get one of the farm quads, with stiff suspension and loads of torque (Honda Recon comes to mind) and put it in first.&nbsp;&nbsp;Automatics are also sweet for this.&nbsp;&nbsp;Role down the hill just a little, and hit the gas all the way.&nbsp;&nbsp;Make sure you let it off eventually unless you like sitting under whatever you are riding.&nbsp;&nbsp;Four strokes are easier to learn on, since there is no pipe worrys, but two strokes can get it up easier.&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;--- generalization disclaimer***
smile.gif
&nbsp;&nbsp;good luck.&nbsp;&nbsp;And wear your safety gear.
 

AP

Member
Dec 27, 1999
2
0
i started wheeling with a 125.&nbsp;&nbsp;I put it in first gear and popped the wheel up and slammed the back brake.&nbsp;&nbsp;it looked pitiful at first but I got the hang of balencing the bike and using the brake and throttle to hold the bike up.&nbsp;&nbsp;just start popping up the front wheel.&nbsp;&nbsp;once you can easily do that try to balance and hold it longer.&nbsp;&nbsp;it will eventually come to you.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 

BigBore

Member
Jun 16, 1999
693
0
Ever see On any sunday?&nbsp;&nbsp;Remember that kid on the z50?

Yup, I remember.....that kid is Jeff Ward.&nbsp;&nbsp;
smile.gif
&nbsp;&nbsp;

------------------
BigBore
'99 XR600R

Yes, it's fast...no, you can't ride it!
 
G

Guest

I can't wheelie on my 125.. let alone a Z50, I guess I have no balance!
smile.gif


------------------
    -racerx
     99YZ125
     West Virginia
   "Hitting it 5th gear taped wide... you can't lose!"
 

ButtonFly

Member
Dec 8, 1999
92
0
Jeff Ward?&nbsp;&nbsp;Wow... small world.&nbsp;&nbsp;Never thought I would have actually heard of someone in it still around today.&nbsp;&nbsp;Malcom is, but he is REALLY old.&nbsp;&nbsp;Steve is dead, and Mert, well wherever he is.&nbsp;&nbsp;I guess the new school has learned something.&nbsp;&nbsp;Thanks for the insight...
 

MARK IT

~SPONSOR~
Sep 5, 1999
357
0
Sounds like youre wating to long to shift,also balance like everone
has sead is a key or the key just make shure it's balanced when you
shift and most of all dont wate to long to shift.practice is your
friend!
 

bud

Member
Jun 29, 1999
433
0
Do you guys find bona fide wheelies (not power wheelies) useful for anything besides impressing the chix?
smile4.gif
Power wheelies I find very useful for roots and logs and so on, but I can't see the point of learning how to do real wheelies, though I suppose it's a thrill being able to keep it up (hehe) for 30 secs or more? Sorry about the double entendre, had a couple after work beers
wink.gif
 

wardy

2005 Lori Nyland Award Winner
Nov 12, 1999
2,681
9
now i used to agree that wheelies other than power wheelies are totally useless, BUT in this day and age of kick but jumps, deep a$$ whoops, there might be a good reason learn a little wheelie action BALANCE.

Now i couldn't do a wheelie for any lenght of time if my life depended on it but a old bud of mine got them down to 1st -5th gear THEN back to 1st, ....thats rite he could do it and slow down, the KEY is the rear brake and keeping the bike dam near straight up and down. course he used to do it on the interstate before it was open to traffic and could go for like 3.5 miles. only thing is he couldn't moto worth a dam and spent way to much time playing on the street and out running the cops.

but its the rear brake

wardy
 

MN KDXer

Registered
Jun 7, 1999
194
0
Wheelies aren't for impressing the babes!&nbsp;&nbsp;Forget them!!&nbsp;&nbsp;The wheelies are for impressing ME!!&nbsp;&nbsp;

I think the newer bikes' taller suspensions make it harder to ride wheelies than those old bikes.&nbsp;&nbsp;In high school, I had a 76 KX125 and, WOW!!, could I ride wheelies.&nbsp;&nbsp;I could start in 1st and snick up gears until riding 6th gear wheelies, and then ride the wheelie for a 1/4 mile.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also, I could just plain yank the front end up and ride 6th gear wheelies.&nbsp;&nbsp;The crazy thing was that I did not need to use the rear brake.&nbsp;&nbsp;The bike had a wide flat powerband (for a 125) and all I needed to do was twist the throttle.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also, the bike was very light and small... and had brutal sucidal tendencies.&nbsp;&nbsp;
wink.gif


btw-&nbsp;&nbsp;The bike was very similar to the bike in The Suspension Woes on dirtrider.net from a month or so back.&nbsp;&nbsp;

------------------
Vet A Enduro & Hare Scrambles Rider
Hey, I USED to be fast!
 

Ol'89r

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 27, 2000
6,961
45
The hardest part of doing a wheelie is finding the balance point.&nbsp;&nbsp;The balance point is much further back than you may think.&nbsp;&nbsp;You may feel like you are going to go over backwards before you reach this point.&nbsp;&nbsp;In fact you might go over backwards a few times finding this balance point.&nbsp;&nbsp;Once you do, you can stay in this position with just a little throttle control.
Suggest using a little taller gear than you think you might need to start your wheelie.&nbsp;&nbsp;This way you still have some workable power left when you get the wheel up.&nbsp;&nbsp;Otherwise, when you get up to the balance point you will be comming on the pipe or cam and this makes it difficult to stay in the proper balance range.&nbsp;&nbsp;I find doing wheelies much easier on my XR than I do on my CR due to the broader power band on the XR.&nbsp;&nbsp;Try to stay off the brake, this will bring the front end down faster than you may want.
Work on throttle control first.
Good luck.
Ol'89r
P.S.&nbsp;&nbsp;A downhill is just a straightaway at an angle.
 

ButtonFly

Member
Dec 8, 1999
92
0
Wheelies are fun.&nbsp;&nbsp;There are almost no chicks where I ride, so can't be that.&nbsp;&nbsp;Maybe all the other guys I ride with see it as cool, I dunno.&nbsp;&nbsp;But wheelies are fun for me, and that is why I do em.&nbsp;&nbsp;Nothing like wheelying a z50 down our 1/4 mile driveway, doing a "power turn" at the end in the gravel and coming back.
 

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